The polar bear is a hypercarnivorous bear endemic to the Arctic Circle, which includes the Arctic Ocean, its neighboring waters, and adjacent land masses. It is the world’s biggest bear species and the world’s largest terrestrial carnivore. A boar (adult male) weighs 350–700 kg (1,540–1,540 lb), but a sow (adult female) is roughly half that size.

Although it is the brown bear’s sister species, it has evolved to occupy a smaller ecological niche, with numerous physical features adapted for low temperatures, traveling through snow, ice, and open water, and hunting seals, which make up the majority of its food. Despite the fact that the majority of polar bears are born on land, they spend the most of their time on the sea ice. This feature is reflected in their scientific name, which means “maritime bear.”

Polar bears hunt seals from the edge of the sea ice, and when there is no sea ice, they rely on fat stores to survive. Polar bears are classed as marine animals because of their need on sea ice.

The polar bear is considered a vulnerable species because of projected habitat loss due to climate change. Large-scale hunting caused widespread concern for the species’ existence for decades, but numbers recovered once restrictions and quotas were implemented. The polar bear has played an essential role in the material, spiritual, and cultural lives of circumpolar peoples for thousands of years, and polar bears continue to play an important role in their civilizations. The polar bear has also been referred to as the “white bear” in the past. It’s also known as the “nanook,” which comes from the Inuit word nanuq.

Polar bears, unlike brown bears, are not territorial. Despite their reputation for being voraciously violent, they are usually cautious in confrontations and prefer to flee rather than fight. Polar bears seldom attack humans unless they are provoked sufficiently. Hungered polar bears, on the other hand, are very unpredictable, unafraid of humans, and have been known to kill and devour humans because to their lack of past human encounter.

Brown bear assaults are frequently the consequence of the animal being surprised, which is not the case with polar bears. Polar bears are sly predators, and the victim is frequently unaware of the bear’s presence until the assault begins. Brown bear attacks are more likely to involve mauling and then leaving, but polar bear assaults are more likely to be predatory and nearly always deadly. However, such attacks are uncommon in the Arctic due to the limited human population.

A hungry male polar bear once pursued Michio Hoshino, a Japanese wildlife photographer, in northern Alaska. The bear started fleeing, according to Hoshino, but he made it to his truck. Before Hoshino could drive away, the bear was able to approach the vehicle and ripped one of the doors off.

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